PROJECT ON-FARM

TITLE OF THE CASE STUDY

The Tuscany wheat network

MAIN DATA OF THE COMPANY

Name of the Company

PROCEVA

Country

Type of the Company

Farming Activity

Direct selling way

SELF – INTRODUCTION OF THE FARMER

I'm Angiolo Simonetti, the President of the company's network PRO.CE.VA.. I manage whit my family a farm of 200 Hectares producing wheat and other products. Together with other four farmers, we decided to create an associated company in form of network (based on a National Low, regulating this type of companies). PROCEVA - Produttori Cereali Valdelsa, is a group of farmers who have joined together with the aim of promoting and encouraging their agricultural productions as well as exchanging knowledge and experience. The farms are all located in the Empolese-Valdelsa area, the land affected by the crops is about 1500 ha located within a radius of about 15 km from their respective business centers. More info: https://www.proceva.it/ and https://pinfoid.ciatoscana.eu/

CHANGES / INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS ADOPTED

The first challenge of the Company's Network PRO.CE.VA., was to participate to a call of Regione Toscana, in the frame of the Rural Development Program, supporting the creation of local integrated chains aimed to valorize the products increasing the add value for farmers inside the chain. An essential aspect of the integrated chain project, has been the inclusion in the proposal of a innovation action managed together with the researchers of the Scuola Superiore Sant'Anna, realizing two years of experimentation about the nutraceutical properties of the wheat. The purpose of PRO.CE.VA.'s project was oriented to the following 2 objectives:

1. Improvement of the quality of wheat and other products, trough:

● Innovative production processes (change of cultivated varieties, low utilization of chemical inputs, total elimination of Gliphosate, etc...)

● Producing wheat with high nutraceutical properties

2. Direct management of the whole chain, from the production to the selling:

● Production of pasta and bakery products with the label PRO.CE.VA. (thanks to the agreement with mills and transformation companies)

● Selling, without intermediation, thanks to a direct contract with a supermarket's chain

The commercial agreements reached with Unicoop Florence, ovens, pastry shops and mills, they affect about 40,000 quintals of wheat and 1,500 of durum wheat for a commitment commercial for the duration of the PIF, minimum 5 years. The nutraceutical properties of the products (pasta and bakery products) has been tested by the University Hospital of Pisa, to a group of persons suffering of Crohn's disease.

WHY AND HOW YOU DECIDED TO INTRODUCE  STRATEGY CHANGES / INNOVATIONS

The main incentive to face this challenge was the objective to give an add value to our wheat and cereals production. Shortly transform a commodity in a product including quality and traceability, able to cross the exigencies of our consumers. This is the only way to reach a fair income and a good economic result for our farmers, considering the following characteristic of our agriculture:

● Our territory is for the main part composed of hills and mountains, with a low production yields;

● The main parts of our agriculture is composed of little-medium family farmers;

● On the other hand, our agriculture offer a wide range of products of high quality, required by both local consumers and tourists coming in Tuscany

Therefore the challenge to create the conditions for valorize our production of wheat and other cereals, was for us the only possible way to be competitive in the food market.

WHAT OBSTACLES DID YOU MEET

The first obstacle was for sure the bureaucracy. When we've decided to create this associated network, this new form of company was practically unknown, so that it was not easy to finalize the process and to organize the management of our company. The second difficulty was due to the long time employed by the Regional administration for evaluating, approving and financing the investments included in our chain project. The last one was the Covid pandemic, that has stopped all activities for a longtime. Due to this situation, it was difficult to realize the whole activity foreseen by the project.

EVALUATION OF THE RESULTS

The President declare to be really very happy for the results of our project. Just in September 2022 the Consortium have submitted the final report of our activity co-financed by the RDP of the Regione Toscana. The support of the RDP has allowed a good start, and to consolidate our company and the commercial relationship, involving other farmers, increasing our commercial relationship, and promoting a relationship with the local administration to promote the consumption of our production's line by the schools. The other important satisfaction reason is the good result of the test realized by the hospital of Pisa.

WHAT WOULD YOU DO DIFFERENT AND WHAT ARE THE PERSPECTIVES IN YOUR MIND

Maybe the starting was a little bit too prudent, maybe it could be possible have a larger involvement of farmers from the beginning. On the other hand, it was right this prudent approach. At first because is necessary in the first phase to have a great confidence between the partners, putting together only people motivated and united in same goals. The first phase is very delicate, it's necessary to create a mutual trust along the chain, especially with the commercial partners. Now the group is ready to increase the business, to collect more products, to create new partnership, with the local administrations, with the health authorities, with new commercial partner.

FINAL SENTENCES

General Evaluation

The most important result, at personal level, is that I've really learned a lot, in terms of new skills about entrepreneurship, innovative approach, personal awareness; Second one, I'm happy that we've demonstrate that is possible improve our agriculture, thanks to the aggregation and cooperation between the farmers; Third one I'm very happy for the economic result of our project, in terms of increased income for our farmers. Last one I'm satisfied for the perspective of our company's network, that is ready to increase his activity and business.

Suggestions for other farmers

Never alone: first of one in agriculture nobody can win alone. It's necessary create relationship, work together with experts, researchers, other farmers, public institutions; Innovative approach: the first condition for developing a short supply chain, is to reach an high quality: special products, traceability, sustainability are required to attract the consumers. Communication strategy: a good product costs more than a basic product; the consumers must be aware that he spends more for receiving more